Archive for February, 2018

Renowned criminologist Donal MacIntyre is back with a new series investigating some of the country’s most horrific and hard-to-crack crimes. The new ten-part series, Donal MacIntyre’s Murder Files, dives… read more

More on Donal MacIntyre's Murder Files

Renowned criminologist Donal MacIntyre is back with a new series investigating some of the country’s most horrific and hard-to-crack crimes.

The new ten-part series, Donal MacIntyre’s Murder Files, dives straight into the heart of the cases that have had police investigators scratching their heads over recent years. Using the recollections from the police involved in the investigation, the series provides a detailed and insightful depiction of how cases were solved.

The first episode in the series tells the story of London schoolgirl Jeshma Raithatha. Jeshma, a typical student three days short of her 18th birthday, went missing on May 16, 2005. Her body was found more than a week later, obscured from view near her home. She had been violently raped and murdered.

The investigation into what had happened to Jeshma was long and difficult. Her body was discovered late and she had been attacked at random by a person she did not know. This led to a race against time to discover the truth, both to provide solace to a grieving family and provide assurance that the perpetrator could not commit such a crime again.

Together with former Detective Chief Superintendent Sue Hill, who led the investigation, Donal investigates the difficulties involved in locating Jeshma’s killer and bringing him to justice. Going through the painstaking process step-by-step, the documentary familiarises the audience with police strategies and processes to find both the victim and her killer. It explains how police must learn as much about the victim as possible (termed as ‘victimology’ in the show) in order to uncover who would attack her.

Donal MacIntyre’s Murder Files succeeds in providing its audience with a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at how the police operate in unusual circumstances. For crime documentary-fans, this is a valuable insight into the system. The high stakes nature of the case at hand creates a very tense and raw episode of television.

More on Oscars 2018

Oscars 2018: Where can I watch the Academy Awards in the UK?

The biggest weekend in film is finally here.

After being delayed due to the 2018 Winter Olympics, Hollywood’s hottest night of the year will take place this Sunday, March 4.

The ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Centre in Los Angeles. American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will host the ceremony, which many big stars are expected to attend.

Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy The Shape of Water looks most likely to take home the gongs, with an impressive 13 nominations – including Best Picture. Meanwhile Dunkirk has eight and crime drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has seven.

Timothee Chalamet, Daniel Day-Lewis, Daniel Kaluuya, Gary Oldman and Denzel Washington will compete for the Best Actor accolade. Meanwhile, Sally Hawkins, Frances McDormand, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan and Meryl Streep are all in the mix for Best Actress.

The Oscars will be streamed live on Sky Cinema Oscars, available to Sky Movies subscribers – or to NOW TV users with the Sky Cinema Pass (£9.99 a month).

The ceremony takes place at 8.30pm local time, while coverage in the UK will begin at midnight.

More on Save Me

Lennie James’ Save Me: Meet the characters

From the mind of Snatch and The Walking Dead star Lennie James comes a new thriller series from the makers of Line of Duty, guaranteed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Save Me is the story of Nelly, a charmer and a chancer and a local at The Palm Tree Pub in southeast London. When Nelly is accused of abducting Jody, the teenage daughter he barely knew existed, he becomes determined to clear his name and bring Jody home. With twists and turns at every corner on his tireless search to find Jody, Nelly will go to any length to uncover the truth. In doing so, he’ll discover more about himself and those around him than he could have ever imagined.

All episodes of Save Me are available on the 28th February on Sky Atlantic (with Sky and Now TV). To give you a flavour of the what’s to come, we’ve created a quick guide to who’s who in the new series.

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Nelson ‘Nelly’ Rowe

Lennie James

Ten years ago, Nelly was the bloke all the men wanted to be and all the women want to be with, but nowadays he’s the cautionary tale buying yet another drink at the Palm Tree pub. When his daughter is kidnapped and he is accused of abducting her, Nelly will go to any length to find her.

Claire McGory

Suranne Jones

Claire had a summer of love with Nelly fourteen years ago, resulting in the conception of Jody. Aspirational Claire left the Estate soon after and is now a successful business-owner, happily married and living in the upmarket Surbiton area when disaster strikes her family.

Fabio ‘Melon’ Melanzana

Stephen Graham

Melon is a scouser and, along with partner Bernie, a relative newcomer to the Palm Tree pub. Melon and Bernie are unexpectedly thrown into the thick of the action when Nelly begins his quest for answers, changing their lives irrevocably.

Martine ‘Teens’ Betts

Kerry Godliman

Teens is Nelly’s partner and a well-known figure around the Estate, owing to her door-to-door beauty product service. Teens is a fighter, who cares fiercely for son, Marky and Nelly, but when Nelly’s situation gets out of control, she struggles with her past and present.

Bernadette ‘Bernie’ Cavanagh

Alice Feetham

Bernie may be young, but she’s not to be dismissed. Along with Melon, she lives and drinks on the Estate. When Nelly’s actions start to have serious consequences for her relationship, she must decide whether she wants to fight back.

Michael ‘Goz’ Gozdecki

Thomas Coombes

Goz is the estate’s local weed dealer. He has a heart of gold and a head filled with interesting trivia. He is good friends with Nelly and becomes a partner in Nelly’s search for Jody.

Stephen ‘Tam’ Tamworth

Jason Flemyng

Tam is a cross-dressing straight man who is a well-known figure on the estate. He works as the hostess at the Metropolis nightclub and finds it easy to go between different groups of people, making him an ideal contact for Nelly.

Eustacia ‘Stace’ Messimeris

Susan Lynch

Stace is Nelly’s best friend and the landlady at the Palm Tree pub. She’s practical, straightforward and fiercely loyal. She also happens to know everybody around the Towers Estate, so her knowledge of the locals and direct manner of communicating could be useful.

Zita Jarvis

Camilla Beeput

Zita is a young mother and dancer who also works at the Metropolis club with Tam. She is having an affair with Nelly but is unwilling to admit how deep her feelings for him lie. When Nelly’s situation worsens, Zita is forced to confront the demons of her past.

Luke Connolly

Alexander Arnold

Luke is a local student and a thorn in Nelly’s side, as his group of student friends have made the Palm Tree pub their personal watering hole. Luke is smart and loves to wind people up, particularly Nelly.

Gavinder ‘Gavin’ Dharni

Ragevan Vasan

Gavin is Luke’s best friend and the more reserved of the two. He struggles with his own identity within the local community, though he finds himself growing to love the Estate.

Barry McGory

Barry Ward

Barry is Claire’s successful music promoter husband, living a seemingly idyllic life in Surbiton with his wife, son and adopted daughter, Jody. He is devoted to Claire and Jody and worries that Nelly’s return to their lives may expose secrets he does not want brought to light.

Jody McGory

Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness

Jody is the daughter of Claire and Nelly, though she has only met her biological father once – when she was three – and has no memories of him. She is a popular kid at school and seemingly lives a happy life with Claire and adopted father Barry.

DS Adeshola ‘Shola’ O’Halloran

Nadine Marshall

Shola is the detective in charge of Jody’s disappearance, who does not take kindly to Nelly’s constant interference. She is dedicated to finding Jody and accepts Nelly has his uses – but worries he could cause lasting damage to the case.

More on The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead‘s biggest ever goodbye finally took place this week, as long-term star Riggs left the show. Riggs’s character Carl suffered a fatal bite by a walker last season, which was revealed in the show finale. Riggs has played Carl for eight years, from the tender age of ten.

The departure is a turn away from The Walking Dead comics, where Carl remains alive and a vital part of the story.

Morgan, who plays bad guy Negan in the drama, posted an emotional tribute to Riggs on his Instagram – expressing his regret that the show only scratched the surface with Negan and Carl’s relationship.

Writing on Instagram, he said: “@chandlerriggs5 man…. what a pleasure. Not only getting to work with you… but, getting to know you. You, my friend, are an incredible young man.

“Well before joining this cast I was a fan… a fan that loved watching you grow up in front of a camera. From the moment you first put on the way too large sheriffs hat as a boy… to the end, the hat so befitting of the man Carl had become. Wiser and more compassionate than all of us. You held all of our hearts.

“Honestly… a huge reason I wanted so badly to join this band of misfits… was because I was such a fan of the Negan Carl relationship in the comics… that storyline was one of my favorites, as I know it was one of yours. I’ll forever be dissaponted we only scratched the surface of what could have been.”

In the comics, Negan and Carl shared a complex bond that continued even after the defeat of Negan.

More on Good Morning Britain

Piers Morgan secretly quit Good Morning Britain last summer before renegotiating new deal

Piers Morgan has revealed he quit Good Morning Britain last summer, forcing ITV bosses to come up with a new arrangement.

The presenter handed in his notice last summer when the early morning starts began to take their toll.

He told the Radio Times: “I actually quit in the summer. I said, ‘I’m out,’ because I couldn’t do it any more.

“Then we came to a new arrangement, which is great. I feel completely different.”

After renegotiating with producers, it was agreed that Piers could instead arrive just minutes before airtime at 6am.

Previously, the journalist had been expected to turn up to the studio by 4am. Piers claims he now gets out of bed at 4:55am, which is “much more bearable”.

However, his co-host Susanna Reid hasn’t been quite so lucky, and still does not receive the luxury of a lie in due to the amount of time she has to spend in hair and makeup.

“The only reason, really, I had to go in so early was because the female stars all have to,” he continued. “It takes them longer [to get ready] because they get more attention and pressure on how they look, how their hair is and everything else.

“I’m lucky. Five minutes of slap and on I go. I said, ‘Does anyone really care if I come in at 5.30 and we just have a catch-up on the phone?’ Which is what we now do.”

More on The Walking Dead

REVIEW: The Walking Dead S8 E9 ‘Honour’ is needlessly long and miserable

The Walking Dead is finally back from the winter after that cliffhanger – and ‘Honour’ is about as joyful as one might expect.

Those hoping for a Jon Snow-style resurrection twist will be disappointed, as this episode does seem to confirm we’ve seen the last of Carl. His departure was every bit as depressing as actors and showrunners hinted it would be, fully fleshed out for maximum emotional impact in a feature-length opening episode.

‘Honour’ starts by going back in time and showing us Carl’s final days, from the fatal bite to his last letters to his burgeoning friendship with Siddiq. This extended sequence, which, like the episode, is longer than necessary, is set to the inspired choice of song ‘At the Bottom of Everything’ by the Bright Eyes. With a jovial tune and lyrics such as ‘We must rip out all the epilogues / From the books that we have read’, it’s oddly fitting.

There are two very satisfying reveals in this episode. Firstly, that Carl did not sacrifice himself for anyone – Siddiq seems an all round good guy, who also happens to be a doctor. Secondly, the ‘Old Man Rick’ timeline is finally explained. It’s not Rick’s fantasy for the future, it’s Carl’s. It a painful and beautiful resolution, one of The Walking Dead‘s more poignant plot twists.

Elsewhere, we learn how the Saviours escaped and how Morgan and Carol were able to rescue Ezekiel. Morgan’s transformation is beautifully contrasted with Carl’s. As Carl relays how easy it is to lose humanity in the new world, Morgan relapses into killing machine mode. This is surely the beginning of whatever it is that will cause Lennie James to leave the show and join spin-off Fear The Walking Dead.

For a goodbye episode, ‘Honour’ is about as drawn out as it gets. There’s plentiful misery, crying, and wise last words from Carl. It’s not necessary – this episode, including both Carl’s death and Morgan’s relapse, could have easily been handled in a normal-lengthed episode. It would have still been painful. The appeal of the end result thus depends on how much you like relentless misery.

More on Doctor Foster

Suranne Jones admits she may be too busy for a Doctor Foster season 3

Suranne Jones is unsure whether she’ll have time to film a third season of Doctor Foster.

Having played GP Gemma Foster for two successful series, fans are desperate to know whether Suranne will be starring in a third instalment of the hit BBC drama.

However, appearing on This Morning today, the actress worried she might not be able to commit to another six episodes after landing other serious acting roles.

The actress came on the ITV show to promote her new Sky Atlantic series Save Me, but hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield first had to address the question on everyone’s lips.

Asked if she’d be partaking in a season three, Suranne replied: “I don’t know. With Save Me also, there’s room for more, Lennie has been saying he’d like to make a second one. Then I’m doing Gentleman Jack for BBC after finishing Frozen. It’s a time thing.”

The star went on to explain how she has begun to dread the moment a good script lands on her doorstep. She said: “I’d finished Doctor Foster 2 and I planned a trip to LA and then I wasn’t going to do anything – I was going to be family orientated – but then this script came up and Lennie [James] wrote to me and Nick Murphy wrote to me as well.

“First of all my husband rolls his eyes and then he goes, ‘You’re doing it aren’t you?’ and I’m like ‘…yeah’.”

More on Upcoming Shows

What’s new on TV this week (February 26 – March 4, 2018)

Monday, February 26

Winter Road Rescue

Season 5 Episode 1
The return of the documentary series battling terrible British conditions to rescue broken down vehicles up and down the country.Channel 5 8:00pm

Classic Mary Berry

Season 1 Episode 1
Mary Berry is at her best in this series, illustrating classic recipes. In the first episode, Mary makes Eggs Benedict, slow-cooked lamb and chocolate truffle pots.BBC1 London 8:30pm

MasterChef

Season 14 Episode 1
John Torode and Gregg Wallace are back for another season of the amateur cooking competition. Only four chefs will survive the first round, for their chance to get a place in the quarter-finals.BBC1 London 9:00pm

The Walking Dead

Season 8 Episode 9
The midseason return after that hangover. How will the show cope with the loss of a seasoned regular?FOX 9:00pm

Tuesday, February 27

Secrets of the National Trust with Alan Titchmarsh

Season 2 Episode 1
Alan Titchmarsh visits some of the country’s most beloved treasures, including 16th-century Derbyshire mansion Hardwick Hall, once the home of Bess of Hardwick.Channel 5 8:00pm

100 Years Younger in 21 Days

Season 1 Episode 1
Eight celebrities go through a series of tests to determine how well – or how badly – they are ageing. They then head to Sardinia, where people live the longest, to try a Sardinian-style lifestyle change.ITV London 9:00pm

The Disappearance

Season 1 Episode 1
Birthday Boy Drama about the search for a boy who vanishes from his 10th birthday party and the secrets the case exposes among his familyUniversal Channel 9:00pm

Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby

Season 2 Episode 1
Giles Coren and Monica Galetti are back exploring some of the world’s most interesting hotels, starting with eco resorts in French Polynesia.BBC2 London 9:00pm

Divorce

Season 2 Episode 1
Sarah Jessica Parker is back with her sitcom about a couple moving on from divorce.Sky Atlantic 10:10pm

How to Build… Everything

Season 1 Episode 1
The new series begins with how to build your very own cruise ship – easy!QUEST 11:00pm

Wednesday, February 28

The Supervet

Season 11 Episode 1
Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick is back for another series, which starts with a puppy in need of emergency spinal surgery, a Bernese with a rare cyst and a Labrador that needs elbow replacement surgery.Channel 4 8:00pm

The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes

Season 2 Episode 1
Piers Taylor and actress and Caroline Quentin travel to Portugal to examine four of the world’s most amazing homes.BBC2 London 8:00pm

American Crime Story

Season 2 Episode 1American Crime Story is back with an equally compelling case: The assassination of Gianni Versace. Fashion designer Versace is killed outside his Miami mansion in 1997, prompting a media frenzy.BBC2 London 9:00pm

Benidorm

Season 10 Episode 1
Billy and Sharon want to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, but things do not go to plan when Rob arrives.ITV London 9:00pm

Save Me

Season 1 Episode 1
Written by and starring The Walking Dead‘s Lennie James, Save Me tells the story of Nelly Rowe, an estranged father who finds himself the prime suspect when his daughter goes missing. He must go on a journey of discovery to find his daughter and clear his name.Sky Atlantic 9:00pm

My Violent Child

Guy’s Family Road Trip

Season 1 Episode 1
Guy Fieri and family go coast-to-coast in a new series, starting with California, Nevada and Arizona.Food Network 9:00pm

The Chris Ramsey Show

Season 2 Episode 1
Comedian Chris Ramsey returns for a new series of his weekly chat snow, taking a unique point of view on the week’s big news stories.Comedy Central 10:00pm

Film 2018

Season 1 Episode 1
A new film review programme hosted by Clara Amfo, which will discuss and speculate as to this weekend’s Oscars.BBC1 London 11:15pm

Thursday, March 1

The Cruise

Season 4 Episode 1
A new series about a cruise ship, taking passengers between Vancouver and Anchorage. Along the journey, they battle navigational problems and difficult weather conditions.ITV London 8:30pm

Civilisations

Season 1 Episode 1
A new series of art history films, starting with the background and history of South African cave paintings dating back 80,000 years.BBC2 London 9:00pm

Extreme Flights: Out of Control

Season 1 Episode 1
A new series about emergencies on board ongoing flights, speaking to some of the witnesses of these airline disasters.Channel 5 9:00pm

Tesla’s Death Ray: A Murder Declassified

A new documentary which investigates some of Nikola Tesla’s recently declassified research and inventions.Discovery 9:00pm

American Dad!

Season 14 Episode 1
Animated American sitcom American Dad! is back as Francine becomes a conspiracy theorist.FOX 10:00pm

Friday, March 2

The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard

Season 1 Episode 1
A new documentary series about the volunteer-run North Yorkshire Moors Railway, following the lives of workers and the challenges they face.Channel 5 8:00pm

Hitler’s Circle of Evil

Season 1 Episode 1
A new Hitler documentary series, investigating the people that the Nazi leader held close to him.HISTORY 9:00pm

Sunday, March 4

Bob Monkhouse: Million Joke Man

Season 1 Episode 1
Paul O’Grady presents this series about the life and career of cartoonist and writer Bob Monkhouse.YESTERDAY 7:00pm

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD

Season 5 Episode 1
The agents are back for a new series, starting with a feature-length episode. Stranded aboard an alien spacecraft, the agents discover something is terribly wrong.E4 9:00pm

The Real Housewives of Atlanta

Season 9 Episode 1
Cynthia’s marriage is disintegrating and Sheree is shocked by Porsha’s party in the first episode of a new series about the Atlantan housewives.ITVBe 10:00pm

More on Stranger Things

Stranger Things 3 will add three new major characters

Reports claim three new significant characters will be introduced in Stranger Things 3.

According to That Hashtag Show, the third season of the popular Netflix series will see some exciting new additions to the cast.

The new characters are said to include Larry Kline, – the Mayor of Hawkins and a “classic, 80s-style slick politician” who is “pathetic and driven only by his own interests” – and Bruce – a “sexist” and “morally compromised news reporter in his 50s”.

A character named Patricia Brown is also reported to be involved in upcoming plot lines – a “sweet neighbourhood elder” who spends her time gardening and offering advice to the children in her neighbourhood.

Creators Ross and Matt Duffer previously revealed details about Stranger Things 3, confessing the new series will be “something almost weirdly more intimate” and “a lot of fun”.

Talking to IndieWire, Ross said: “I love the early days of seasons, because you are filled with all of these possibilities. We are having a lot of fun just bouncing around cool ideas.”

Matt continued: “It’s not necessarily going to be bigger in scale. What I am really excited about is giving these characters an interesting journey to go on.”

The creators also revealed the season two character, Erica, will feature a lot more in the next instalment of the series.

“There will definitely be more Erica in season three,” Ross confirmed. “We were able to integrate more of her [in season two], but not as much as you want because the story [was] already going. ‘We got to use more Erica’ – that was one of the first things we said in the writers’ room.”

More on Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Kylie Jenner shares first video of baby Stormi

Kylie Jenner has revealed the first ever footage of her baby girl Stormi.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star took to Snapchat to share an adorable clip of her daughter this weekend.

The Snapchat video shows Kylie stroking her baby’s tiny feet, before cooing: “Mummy’s cute little toes!” The 20-year-old then lets out a small squeal at how cute Stormi is.

Stormi’s face has been hidden from fans so far, but Kylie did recently confess that her baby closely resembles how she once looked when she was little.

Speaking about Kylie’s decision to trademark her baby’s name, a source previously told The Sun: “Kylie’s been dreaming up baby names for around two years – as her best friend said in the pregnancy video, she’s wanted to be a mom forever.

“A new make-up range was already in the planning when she found out she was pregnant, so the idea came together over the pregnancy and when Kylie chose the name Stormi it was really early on.”